A Somewhat Clinical Christmas
by Neflanthir
Summary: Short one-shot gift fic for Shaami. Very pre-game, mild shounen-ai. Random analytical kind-of-fluff, if Wilhelm is capable of fluff. Just the two spending Christmas time together. Hope you enjoy Shaami, and anyone else who may read it.


He wasn't what one would call festive, in fact, he was quite sure he'd spent half the day glaring at the imposing decorations and the speakers playing the awful 'music'. Unfortunately the over-commercialised holiday that was Christmas was well loved and excessively adhered to. To make it worse, he had already decided, before the annoyance had set in, that he would allow Yeshua a 'proper' Christmas this year. He was regretting that decision already, but it was the last time the holiday would be celebrated on humanity's home world, so he thought he should allow the other the experience, just this once.

Part of the problem was of course the social aspect, he didn't do sociable, avoiding contact with people wherever possible was a much better idea. The other part, ignoring the commercialisation and the pre-mentioned complaints, was that he knew the entire thing was unequivocally inaccurate. 'Jesus Christ' was not the son of God, nor were the teachings he helped spread his, he had no idea the importance or relevance of the Lemegeton, nor of Yeshua himself. Then there was the fact the Christmas day had nothing to do with the birth of that man, it was a recycled pagan holiday to encourage the pagans to convert to Christianity.

Knowing everything, and not being human, made it rather difficult to have any interest in partaking in trivial and erroneous holidays. He was the one responsible for protecting and preserving the universe; that was his burden, and within that came guiding humanity down the required path. That was his role and that was what mattered, not him, and not the trivial details and false beliefs of humanity.

That didn't mean that he didn't take any interest in Yeshua, who had come into existence much the same way he had. Not that Yeshua and Maria were exactly like him, they were Anima and Animus, but their difference and transcendence from humanity made them similar and separate enough. They all had their roles, roles that would be fulfilled in one means or another, irrespective of what any of them wanted.

Not of course that this was meant to be about that, it was something he knew without having to give it any thought. He did what needed to be done without regret of hesitation, it was why he existed. No, this was meant to be about Yeshua and trying to lessen his anguish for a brief moment in time, for which hopefully the memories would later be something to look back on to improve his mood.

Though that all depended on whether or not Wilhelm could bring himself to go through with it. He would, of course, because selfishness wasn't something he understood the meaning of, but that didn't take away the mild agitation that the 'festivities' left him feeling. Buying and putting up decorations himself was completely out of the question, as much as Yeshua would probably enjoy it, he had far too much to do to waste time on such petty affairs. Someone would be paid to do that for him, preferably while Yeshua was out of the way and would then be treated to the surprise of returning to a decorated house.

He wasn't really sure whether anything aside from decorations and at least one present was required for a 'proper' Christmas, but he wasn't convinced he could put up with much more than that and Yeshua would appreciate the gesture regardless of whether he had done everything properly or not.

If he made the arrangements with a week or so to spare, Yeshua would have plenty of time to make additions, changes or advise him of other things that normally occurred. As much as he didn't care for it, this wasn't about him, it was a treat for Yeshua, so if he wanted something, he would get it. He hoped that the awful music wasn't something the other would want however, that got old very quickly; festive it was not, cheesy and annoying on the other hand…

Sighing softly Wilhelm resigned himself to his fate and made the necessary arrangements, arranging at the same time something that would keep Yeshua out of the way until everything was finished. The other would think nothing of going to a classical rendition, that was the only thing Wilhelm ever really showed any interest in and he had already commented on finding out if they lived up to their reputation. With all the preparations made, all he really had to do was wait and carry on as normal in the meantime; that much was easy at least.

Yeshua smiled, joining in with the clapping as the final performance came to an end, Wilhelm however ignored the act as he always did, it wasn't as though anyone knew whether they clapped or not, the private box assured that. The recital had lived up to the reputation allotted to it, each tune being played relatively flawlessly. It had been a pleasant distraction while it lasted and Yeshua had enjoyed it, which was always a bonus.

"That was good. Some of the melodies were haunting and sad, but they were all played so well. It's nice when we go out somewhere together, it happens so rarely, so it's always such a treat when we do." Yeshua stated warmly.

Wilhelm nodded, noting but not commenting on the unintended complaint built into the sentence. He knew Yeshua didn't mean anything by it, as much as the other would enjoy them going out more often, he knew socialising was not something Wilhelm enjoyed in the least, it had always been that way for as long as they had existed and known each other. If it were a case of Wilhelm not making time in his schedule, it would no doubt be a different matter, but since it was because the experience was generally an unpleasant one, the lack of social activity was accepted.

Wilhelm led Yeshua out of the building and to the car waiting to take them back to the now-decorated house. That was the real surprise and treat, one Wilhelm truly hoped would be appreciated, given it was likely to annoy him regardless of how happy or not it made the other. It was highly unlikely that Yeshua wouldn't be excited by the gesture however, so he wasn't really concerned.

"I have a surprise for you, so when I tell you to close your eyes, I'd like you to do so until I tell you otherwise. Could you do that for me?" Wilhelm asked softly once they were getting nearer the house.

Yeshua looked both surprised and perplexed but nodded his consent nonetheless. "Of course I can."

"Thank you."

The mystified look remained on Yeshua's face, even after he had closed his eyes at Wilhelm's request. As expected he was being a good sport about the whole thing and was doing as he was asked without question. Certainly the decorations would be unexpected for him and would hopefully be up to both their standards but that was something he wouldn't find out without seeing them all for himself, this had all occurred without his overview after all, so even he didn't know what they were returning to.

The outside of the house at least was simple and elegant and he could only hope the inside was the same. The style was uncomplicated rather than overbearing and not tackily done nor cheap-looking as so many of the decorations frequently seen were. If this theme was kept throughout he would most certainly be pleased, the classy feel to the so-say festivities were not obtrusive or annoying, they were something he could live with.

Wilhelm carefully helped Yeshua out of the car and stood him in front of the house before telling him he could open his eyes and stepping back to gauge his reaction. He wasn't disappointed as Yeshua's face quickly lit up with surprised delight. Wilhelm was given a brilliant smile as the other asked for permission to look inside, which was of course granted.

Following Yeshua into the house, he took in the decorations, thankful they had followed the same theme throughout. Between that and Yeshua's obvious excitement and approval, he decided they had earned themselves a bonus. All of his rules had been followed, his status and tastes had been considered, the job was well done and nothing had been touched or used that shouldn't have been. Encouraging and rewarding such behaviour was certainly not something he had any issues with, humanity would be a much better species if they behaved in such a manner more often than not.

"Thank you so much." Yeshua said sincerely once he had finished looking around.

"You're welcome, though don't expect this every year." Wilhelm replied softly.

Yeshua shook his head, smiling warmly. "I wouldn't."

"Merry Christmas Yeshua, make the most of it."

"I will, thank you. You'll be home the whole day won't you? Do you want me to do some planning; this isn't really your thing is it?"

"I will and it isn't, though stay within reason, I won't go along with everything just because I'm treating you."

"Okay, I'll give it some thought. Really, thank you so much for this."

"You're welcome, I know this is something you've wanted for some time after all, I could hardly deny you forever."

Yeshua smiled brightly and hugged Wilhelm, still not passed the surprise or excitement. Wilhelm allowed a genuine smile, seeing Yeshua so happy certainly made everything worthwhile, not that the decorations they had put up were really a bother or an eyesore, he had certainly made a good choice of who to use.

"It's late and I do have work in the morning, shall we go to bed? It seems you may have a busy day yourself, no doubt you'll spend a lot of time and effort working out what you want and making sure it's feasible." Wilhelm suggested, not sure whether Yeshua would agree in his current mood.

"You go ahead, I'll be up soon, I just want to look around a little more, everything looks wonderful."

Wilhelm nodded, kissing Yeshua's forehead gently before making his way upstairs. It was a nice change for the other to be happily preoccupied; he had a bad tendency of worrying about everything and not thinking particularly highly of himself. The distraction would be good for him and his mental health, not that Yeshua wasn't strong enough to cope whenever he needed to, even if he did doubt himself.

Following his normal routine, Wilhelm got ready for bed, glad to be settling down away from everything if only briefly. Now all he had to do was wait until Christmas Day, doing whatever Yeshua needed him to in the meantime and then it would be over and things would go back to normal. It really was a ridiculous amount of fuss for one day; still, if that fuss was good for the other, then he could put up with it this once.

Thankfully the time passed quickly and Yeshua had required little more than his approval of certain ideas, the other seemed quite happy busying himself with various tasks. He seemed to be taking Wilhelm's words to heart and was most certainly trying to make the most of the opportunity, for which Wilhelm was most pleased, he didn't want Yeshua to have any regrets over it.

Of course, what had been wasn't much of an issue now it had passed; now it was Christmas and Yeshua was trying to coax him out of bed to partake in Christmassy activities. While he could just do what the other wanted, that would be too easy, it was far more interesting staying in bed and seeing what Yeshua would do to get his own way.

"Please? Come on, get up?" Yeshua asked pleadingly, puppy-dog eyes firmly in place.

"What for? I'm quite comfortable here." Wilhelm replied lightly.

"It's Christmas! We need to open presents and cook Christmas dinner and do other things, you can't stay in bed or the day will be over and wasted."

"Persuade me it's worth it."

Yeshua pouted, but it was clear he was in two minds as to whether he should be put out or pleased by Wilhelm's playful behaviour. "And how might I do that exactly?"

Wilhelm shrugged noncommittally and settled back down and closing his eyes. Yeshua pouted again, this time Wilhelm couldn't see it but he still knew it was there. He didn't want to abandon the game so easily but he wasn't going to upset the tanned boy either, that was definitely not the idea.

The mattress dipped and Wilhelm opened his eyes in time to see Yeshua lean down and kiss him. "Please won't you come and spend some quality time with me? I can't see that the bed is possibly more interesting and tempting then I am."

Wilhelm smirked and kissed Yeshua before motioning for him to move. "Now I am impressed with your methodology. Very well, no more games, you shall have what you want."

Yeshua smiled broadly. "I'll be downstairs then, come find me once you're ready."

Wilhelm nodded, glad that he was allowed to get dressed at least, wandering around half-dressed was not something he enjoyed, though he was a control freak who knew the importance of appearance and never being caught off guard, so that was hardly surprising. Though of course he was meant to be getting ready, not pondering pointless matters, Yeshua would only wait so long.

Once ready he found Yeshua in the kitchen making breakfast, though what was traditional about bagels and orange juice he had no idea. Still, if that was what the other wanted, that was all that mattered, this was all for him after all. Taking a seat, Wilhelm accepted the plate and they both ate in comfortable silence. It wasn't until he was washing up the dishes that Wilhelm spoke again.

"So what exactly do you have in mind for today?"

Yeshua looked over, trying to gauge his mood and failing as always. "Nothing too traumatic, I promise. Opening presents, preparing Christmas dinner, relaxing in some form or other while the food cooks, eating and just spending time together, maybe curled up on the sofa with some awful movie on."

"I can't see that you don't have a better idea of how you want to spend the time, but very well, I'll go along with it and see what you decide at the time."

Yeshua smiled warmly and held out his hand, a clear indication that he was ready to go into the front room to attend to the gift unwrapping. Wilhelm followed the prompt, stopping Yeshua as they reached the front room to highlight the snow falling outside. With a brighter smile and a higher level of excitement, Wilhelm let Yeshua continue unimpeded to the presents.

The day passed quickly and Wilhelm had been right in assuming Yeshua had more plans than he had made clear on his overview. As promised none of it had been too traumatic at least, though the various games they had played and programmes they had watched were certainly not his first choice of activities. Yeshua had enjoyed the day thoroughly however, and that was all that mattered. He would have something to look back on, another positive memory of their time together.

The rather superfluous dinner had been pleasant, though anything they cooked usually was, and there was definitely a different air to the day, though he wasn't sure he could agree with the use of the term festive, as much as Yeshua used it. Either way, it hadn't been too bad and Yeshua was happy, so it was worth the effort.

For now it seemed the evening would be spent curled up together on the sofa watching various awful programmes and films that were playing, not that he thought much to the media, so it didn't mean much really and he was very good at paying no attention to the television and retreating into his head instead. As long as he paid enough attention to Yeshua and any comments he made, it would be acceptable, he was there, so the effort had been made.

All in all, while perhaps somewhat clinical on his part, the day had been a success, the effort had been worth it and Yeshua's desire was sated, everything had worked out as it always did. The day had been survived, well, it was almost over at least and while the decorations weren't obnoxious, he would still be glad to be rid of them. The once-in-a-lifetime celebration was over and he could get on as normal again.

Of course, he knew that this was the last time he would have to deal with the fully-fledged annoyance that was the noel, which was all he had to remind himself to stop him from ordering an end to the cheesy music and other ordeals. No, this was a one-off that none of them would realise the importance of and once it was gone it would be too late to regret. None of that really mattered now though, it was still Christmas after all, and the time alone with his lover was well appreciated, even if not everything they did was.


End file.
